


Too Soon (The Bells Will Ring)

by mrs_d



Series: Tumblr Fics [9]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: (because why not?), Alternate Universe - No Powers, Christmas, Domestic, Fluff, Halloween, Holidays, M/M, Nurse!Steve and Firefighter!Sam, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Seasonal, Tumblr Ask Box Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-29 05:29:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8477131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrs_d/pseuds/mrs_d
Summary: Steve set the bags down to get his key before realizing that the faint wobbling and off-key sound he was hearing was Sam on the other side of the door, singing.“It’s beginning to look a lot like—”“Oh no,” Steve said under his breath.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pizzadog20](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pizzadog20/gifts).



> Thanks, pizzadog20, who requested:
> 
> _holiday season samsteve! disagreements about how early is too early to put up the tree (someone is in favor of the day after halloween, other is like..."ok but lets get through thanksgiving first!")_
> 
> [(If you prompt me, I shall write....)](http://mrsdawnaway.tumblr.com/post/152724224444/if-you-prompt-me-i-shall-write)

It was the first day of November. Or, as Steve called it, the day that candy went back to being reasonably priced.

He hit four stores on the way home from his shift at the hospital, until the backseat of his Beetle rattled with delicious and affordable chocolate. There was wicked grim reaper prop back there, too — Steve hadn’t been able to pass it up at 75% off. He couldn’t wait to get some batteries in it and see how it looked hanging on the door at night. It’d definitely give the trick-or-treaters a fright next year, and Steve wondered if Sam would let him put it up now, replacing their scarecrow wreath for the next few days, even though the holiday was over.

But the scarecrow wreath was already gone, he realized, as he pulled into the drive. So were the bats that they’d hung from the branches of the tree in their front yard — okay, the bats that Sam had hung because Sam was taller than him. The jack-o-lanterns that they’d carved had disappeared, too; the freshly-dug grave (a towel covered with dirt) was regular grass again; and the zombie hands poking out of the earth along the front walkway were no more.

Puzzled, Steve parked and headed up to the door, his haul of candy slowing him down somewhat. He set the bags down to get his key before realizing that the faint wobbling and off-key sound he was hearing was Sam on the other side of the door, singing.

“It’s beginning to look a lot like—”

“Oh no,” Steve said under his breath.

He knew that Sam had had today off; they both did long shifts and short work weeks — which was just part of married life for a nurse and a firefighter — but he hadn’t been expecting this. Not yet, anyway.

He hid his grimace and tried the knob. Sure enough, it was unlocked, and Steve was greeted with the sight of Pipsqueak, their Great Dane, lying on the sofa with his head on his paws, seeming very put out in a vibrant green, snowflake-patterned sweater.

Sam, meanwhile, was crouched on the floor with his back to Steve, digging through his enormous Christmas box, which already looked half-empty. There were decorations of all sizes strewn around him, and a steaming mug of hot chocolate on the coffee table — even though it was still 65 degrees out.

“And the thing that’ll make them ring is— Steve,” Sam interrupted himself, as he stood up and turned. There were fuzzy red reindeer antlers sticking out of his head that Steve was sure he’d thrown out last January. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Steve replied. He stepped out of his shoes and came over to scratch Squeaky behind the ears. “You look like you’ve had a busy day.”

Sam nodded. He took a hasty sip of his drink and ducked slightly to give Steve a sweet little hello kiss. Steve thought about ripping off the antlers while they were within reach, but ultimately decided against it.

“So,” Sam said, “I took all the Halloween crap down—”

“I see that.”

“—and I just figured, why not put out the Christmas stuff now? It’s only 55 days away, you know.”

“It is,” Steve agreed quickly. “But, um—”

“I’ve been thinking: should we put the tree up here or down in the rec room? Personally, I like downstairs, since there’s more room for company — by the way, we’re having a party, I hope that’s okay — but if it’s up here, we’ll see it all the time, and people can see it from the street, which would be really nice, don’t you think?”

“Uh,” said Steve. He glanced down; the grim reaper in his hand looked just as confused as he felt. “Well—”

“Or— oh, I know,” Sam exclaimed. “Why don’t we just get another tree? A real one, for up here. If we put it downstairs, we might forget to water it, and the captain would never forgive me if my party turned into work for the crew.”

“Sam,” Steve managed, as Sam took a breath. “Don’t you think...”

“Think what, baby? That it’d be better to get another fake one? I mean, we could, but—”

“No,” Steve said finally. “Sam, don’t you think it’s a little... early?”

Sam stopped, his mug halfway to his lips. He blinked, closed his mouth, set the drink down again. Steve watched as his eyes travelled around the room, taking in everything, from the snow globes to the nativity scene, from the sad puddle of a deflated Santa to the wads of string lights trailing bulbs all over the floor.

“Sorry,” Steve said hastily. “I didn’t— I mean, I love Christmas, and I love you, but...”

“I did just go full Elf there, didn’t I?” Sam asked.

“A little,” Steve admitted with a wry smile. “But you tolerate my zombie hands and my pumpkins and—”

“And your insistence that the piece of crap decor you find on clearance every year is worth buying, even though it never works, and we just end up taking it to Goodwill?”

Steve looked down again at the grim reaper and winced. “That, too,” he said. “But I did bring you candy.”

“Oh. Well, in that case, I forgive you,” Sam said with a low chuckle.

He stepped forward, pulling Steve close and kissing him again, soft and deep. His hands skimmed down Steve’s back to his ass, while Steve brought his up, tracing Sam’s ears until he found what he was looking for. Sam made a small noise, half-laugh and half-protest, into Steve’s mouth when Steve touched the plastic headband, but Steve raised himself to the tip of his toes and grabbed it, pulling the stupid antlers off Sam’s head and flinging them away.

Pipsqueak got up to chase them, shaking the floor with the thunderous beat of his heavy paws, but Sam was tightening his grip on Steve’s ass, and Steve found himself unable to think about anything else.

“That’s the spirit,” he said in Sam’s ear, when he twisted his face away to get a breath of much-needed air.

Sam just laughed as he picked Steve up and carried him to the bedroom.


End file.
